Tiris - Transformation Ritual
The bittersweet awareness that
all things must end
That incipient sense of loss is what drew you closer to those still alive and well, and gave you a reason to pay closer attention, hoarding details like a honeybee rushing from flower to flower, because you knew summer wouldn't last forever.
— John Koening,
The dicitonary of obscure sorrows
Tiris -
Transformation Ritual
Details
Format: Bespoke Transformation Ritual for a
Mother and Daughter
Topics:
Letting go, farewell, grief, caring, confidence, cycle, family bond, trust
Time: 13-14.01.2024, 24h Circle, 9am-9am
Location: An emotional connected beautiful place in Uckermark
#rituals #ritualdesign #experiencedesign #transformativeexperience #reconnection #connection #timetravel #lettinggo #grief
Making Time for letting go
From saying goodbye to motherhood to a deeper connection between daughter and mother. A 24-hour journey through different cycles in the life of a daughter and her mother.
I was asked by my good friend and colleague Emily Thomey to support her and her mother in creating time and space for her decision to let go of the possibility of becoming a mother. After a bad diagnosis a few years ago, she decided to keep the possibility of becoming a mother by freezing her eggs. After several years of paying rent for the frozen, beautifully named 'Fruchtzwerge', of dealing with the uncertainty and not knowing, last January was the moment to let go of this possibility.
A ritual of transformation from grief, anger and holding on to past possibilities to deep connection, confidence and self-efficacy for the future.
STORY /// ReLearn
Rituals
In a beautiful co-creation over several weeks, getting to know their family history, we designed a 24 hour ritual for Emily and her mother. After a touching cleansing ceremony and entering the ritual by consciously stepping over a threshold, I accompanied the two women through different cycles in their past, present and future.
Letting go to Reconnect
Working with the cycle and elements of life
We worked on different levels of connection with individual and shared reflection between mother and daughter. The cycle of life accompanied us as a symbol throughout the ritual.
Each end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new one was marked by a special ritual along the elements of wind, fire, water and earth. The element of metal being the central element of the ritual, symbolising farewell, letting go and mourning.
Cycle 1 - Wind
The mutual appreciation of the mother-daughter relationship and special memories were sung into the wind (representing the element of air) and carried by it in the heart.
What are the defining experiences in the mother-daughter relationship?
What does it mean to be a mother, what does it mean to be a daughter? How is the respective care expressed?
Cycle 2 - Fire
Visualisations of past possibilities on small Goodby papers were transformed by the fire. The Swedish fire blazed and all fears, worries, anger and sadness were shaken off with music and dance in the middle of the cold snowy forest in January.
Cycle 3 - Water
The water in the frozen lake represented letting go of the old, accepting the present and connecting with the new.
How do I feel? What is the present?
What are the wishes and desires for me and for our mother/daughter relationship that I want to care for?
Who and what do I want to care for in the future? What could be an image that describes my future care?
Cycle 4 - Earth
The element of earth closed the last cycle of the journey. Wishes for the individual and collective future were manifested on seed papers and shared the next morning, after spending the night together in the daughter's caravan. These wishes will grow in the coming years through shared rituals.
“Tiris” - The bittersweet awareness that
all things must end
The name for the ritual was chosen by my friend. Inspiried by the beautiful book “The dicitonary of obscure sorrows”, by
John Koening,
“A comfort to think that we are all united in our imperma-nence. Because if even the mountains have lifetimes, and our own galaxy will one day be no more, then there's no solid definition of what permanence even means. Eternity, infin-ity, forever: these are nonsense words, poetical abstractions,useful only to spice up mathematicians' thought experi-ments. The finiteness of reality takes it out of the hands of the gods and gives us control. Without an objective yardstick to establish what eternity looks like, it's up to us to define what timeframe we view as normal, and calibrate our own understanding of what fleeting and lasting really mean.”
Amrei Andrasch
Co-Founder Regenerative TimeLab
Transformation & Regenerative
Experience Designer
Hi,
I'm Amrei. I grew up in a very ritualistic family and since then I've always been supported by marking special moments with rituals.
Rituals are powerful tools that ground us. They turn our intentions into habits, providing structure, clarity and purpose. These practices help us navigate change, manifest our goals and unlock new levels of creativity.
By establishing creative rituals, we open the doors to profound artistry. Neuroscience shows that rituals signal our brains to switch into a particular mode, helping us to tap into heightened states of imagination and creativity. Whether you're an artist, designer or leader, nurturing your creativity through ritual is transformative - it sets the stage for a new kind of experience that renews both the creator and the world around them.
Rituals are not set in stone. They evolve with you. As your creative journey progresses, so should your rituals. What worked for you yesterday may not work for you tomorrow. The key is to pay attention to what fuels your creativity and adapt as needed.
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